Battle For The Matrix
by Krem
Summary: A group of Autobot Mini-Cons from Gigantion's moon crash-land on Earth with Decepticon pirates and bounty hunters not far behind. Indefinite HIATUS for now, sorry.
1. Prologue

**So here it is: my 100% original Transformers fanfiction. This isn't based on any series. It's all new. It has elements from just about everything. Just remember these simple guidelines: 1. The Great Wars are over; the Autobot and Maximals won. 2. Optimus Prime and Megatron are not in this story, though they do exist in this universe. 3. The robots in this story are Mini-Cons from Gigantion's moon, Minos; they are about six to ten inches tall in general. 4. The Transformers on Cybertron are called Cybertronians; they're generally eight to twelve feet tall. 5. The Giants living on Gigantion range from twenty to fifty feet tall, but they're all but extinct; Gigantion is pretty much a dead world. 6. Gigantion and Cybertron are on opposite sides of the galaxy with Earth in between them. Now, without further ado, I give you **_**Transformers: Battle for the Matrix**_**.**

Prologue

"I am afraid, Captain Ravage," Undermine sighed, "That I have failed you. The

Council is plotting against you. Even now, a crew of four Autobots is piloting a ship to Cybertron to retrieve the Mini-Con Matrix of All Sparks. They intend to unleash its power and use it to destroy you."

**

Ravage's spy had been as precise as possible with the report. He had failed. Ravage hated failure. If Undermine had not been a valuable asset to him, Ravage would have had him slaughtered right there and then. But he still had use for Undermine. Without Undermine's hand to sway the Council's decision, they would continue to resist his fleet's blockade on Minos. Then Ravage would not get the money he so desperately needed.

_That_ was the most important thing in his life right now: money. Without money, his crew would desert him. Without money, he'd be living on the streets. Without money, his life just wouldn't be lively enough.

Without money, he'd be offline.

Ravage was barely functioning as it was. In the past four million years, Ravage had had nearly all of his systems upgraded, replaced, removed, altered, or modified. The only systems that hadn't yet been modified were his Central Processing Unit, his Oxygen-Intake Cooling System, and one of the sensor relays in his right thumb. With the sole exception of his OICS, those parts worked just fine. But his OICS was failing him. Lately he'd been overheating, coughing, wheezing, and having great difficulty vocalizing. It needed to be replaced, or Ravage would eventually perish. He'd known that for a long time.

He didn't have the money to pay for the procedure.

That's why he was holding his own home world hostage. He'd made many friends in the pirating business: Starscream, Cannonball, Rumble and Frenzy (the "Twins of Doom"), Grandus (the "Great"), and Skyfire (the "Scourge of the Seven Space Systems"), to name a few. All of these had helped him to pull off this stunt (for a price, of course).

But the real star of his show was the _Nemesis_. He'd stolen her from the Museum of the Great Wars. _Nemesis_ was the to-be flagship of the great Galvatron, the first Mini-Con to call himself "Decepticon." Sadly, he'd never been able to fly it to Cybertron – and Megatron – to join in the Great War there.

But now, it seemed as though all of Ravage's plans to save his life were about to fall apart. The Council of Sages had decided to use the Mini-Con Matrix of All Sparks against him. Not only that, they had a new, Techno-Organic cloaking substance to mask the ship sent to Cybertron to retrieve it!

What had Undermine called the stuff?

It had sounded completely and utterly stupid…

Ah, yes. "Disappearium."

Now with the Disappearium cloaking their ship, Ravage would never be able to find those pathetic Autobots who dared to stand up against him. Unless (by some streak of pure luck) he was able to intercept them on their way back to Minos…

But what then? They would have the Matrix and they'd use it.

No, wait.

They couldn't!

According to the mythology surrounding the Matrix of All Sparks, it could be activated by only two Transformers: the current Prime or the "Chosen One."

But what if Ravage _could_ control the Matrix? It was said to hold limitless power. Power that could restore Ravage! Not only that, it could make him strong enough to rule the entire galaxy!

And it would. All Ravage had to do was release its energy. And to do that, he needed Metroplex.

Metroplex (officially Metro Prime, but he didn't like the title) was the Prime now. No chance existed of Ravage controlling Metroplex. Not even Ravage's first mate, Scorpinok, was big enough to outfight the great and powerful leader of Minos. Metroplex towered over even the larger Mini-Cons like Scorpinok. But what of the Chosen One foretold in the _Covenant of Primus_?

Ravage needed to check the great book of prophecies.

"And there will be One who will light the darkest hour, the Chosen One who will release the sparks of many to destroy the scourge of the world."

"The Chosen One shall come from where you least expect, from those so insignificant and yet so important. And not even the Chosen One will recognize the receptive spark within."

"Minosia," from the _Covenant of Primus_

**Author's Note: "Minosia" is the section of the **_**Covenant**_** that this passage comes from. It's the set of prophecies about Minos. The others are "Originus Transformium" (Primus and the origin of the Transformer race), "Cybertronica" (Cybertronian prophecies), "Gigantia" (Prophecies about Gigantion), and "Chaoticus" (Unicron and the end times).**

Ha! He probably didn't even exist. The _Covenant_ was full of a bunch of mystical, religious gobbledygook anyway. None of its so-called "prophecies" had ever come true that Ravage knew of.

But maybe another _could_ control the Matrix. "Receptive spark," it said. Ravage knew of one whose spark was like no other. Rampage could activate the Matrix. Yes, the immortal, indestructible freak created by the Tripredacus Council and their scientists would certainly fit the bill of the Chosen One. All Ravage needed to do was find him.

If Ravage unleashed the power of the Matrix for his own benefit, he wouldn't need any expensive medical procedures. He could have a whole new body!

Then Ravage could have power. Then Ravage could have glory. Then Ravage could have control of the entire galaxy!

He sent for Divebomb. His third mate arrived in only a moment; apparently he'd been out for a stroll near the captain's quarters. How strange.

"I want you," Ravage ordered, "To send someone to Planet X and bring back Rampage." Divebomb seemed to smile at this, for some strange reason; Ravage could not figure out why.

With that mouth – or rather, those mandibles – it was hard to tell whether or not it actually _was_ a smile, though.

"As you command, captain," he coolly replied, "I'll send Blackout."

Ah, good, Blackout was huge, more so than Scorpinok. Not that bright, but he could take down Rampage. Even a homicidal, immortal freak like that wouldn't stand a chance against Blackout. The trick would be finding him on that restricted planet.

Divebomb walked out with what was now assuredly a wry smile on his face.

Ravage had no idea how amused the Predacon was right now. He had no clue that the _original_ immortal spark was walking out of the room at that moment, slipping right through his fingers.

**What you should know so far: 1. Ravage is a Decepticon space pirate. 2. Minos is governed by a Council of Sages. 3. Ravage has a Predacon spy, Undermine, in the Council. 4. Divebomb and Rampage are immortal; Rampage is a failed attempt to mimic Divebomb. 5. Divebomb works for Ravage. 6. Ravage is going to die unless he undergoes a dangerous and expensive medical procedure or steals the Matrix. 7. Ravage has blockaded Minos until they give him the money for his operation. 8. They sent out an invisible ship on a rescue mission to get the Mini-Con Matrix of All Sparks. 9. The Matrix has the sparks of all "good" dead Mini-Cons inside it, along with all their power and wisdom combined. 10. Metroplex is Minos's leader and he can activate the Matrix. 11. There is another "Chosen One" who can also activate the Matrix, according to the Transformers' "Bible." 12. Ravage thinks Rampage is the Chosen One. 13. This story has a lot of detail put into it, and is a little bit hard to follow. Don't worry if this is complicated, it gets easier later on.**


	2. Chapter 1: Earth

Spy Shot 6 gazed out the viewport: Transwarp space. Outside the _Axalon_, there had been nothing but the glowing blue aura of the Transwarp field for the past two days.

He was sick of it.

He turned his large, round, red optics toward Speed Dial. Speed Dial didn't have much of a face, only a big round lens and a mouthplate, so Spy Shot couldn't tell whether he was bored or not, but he was sure Speed Dial _wanted_ to keep his feelings hidden. Then again, he doubted Speed Dial was even capable of feeling "bored." Finally, after staring in that direction for at least three cycles, he spoke. His own high-pitched voice rang through the silence of the ship so loudly that Spy Shot 6 himself almost jumped. "How much longer will it be before we get to our destination?" He didn't even have to ask, he already knew. He just needed something to break the silence. Speed Dial's monotonous reply was cold and inexpressive, as always. "We shall reach Minos twenty-nine cycles and three kliks sooner than when you last inquired."

Spy Shot 6 groaned mentally and turned around again, resting his head on his clawed hand. It only took him an instant to do the math. They still had one day, forty-two megacycles, seventy-one cycles, and ninety-seven kliks until they finally reached home. Maybe he shouldn't have asked.

_Great_, He thought. _More than a day of this left._

"I know a shortcut." High Score's deep voice rang through the ship just as loudly as Spy Shot's, and this time, he actually _did_ jump. "It's an old smuggler's route. We… er… _They_ called it the 'Sol slingshot'." Speed Dial's reply was predictable as always. "We were assigned a specific route which we were to take and we shall not stray from it."

"What is this 'Sol slingshot'?" Spy Shot 6 asked calmly.

High Score thought for a moment before he answered. "Well, instead of wasting time going _around_ the Solar system, we just go through it. First, we zigzag around the last six planets at Transwarp speed. Then, we reenter normal space," Spy Shot liked this part; to him, anything was better than Transwarp right now. High Score continued, "…and use Sol 3's gravitational pull to slingshot around it after one orbit. We direct ourselves toward Sol, and then repeat the process and ride the gravity wave straight out of there faster than you can say 'Optimus Prime'!"

"I like it," Spy Shot answered after a moment. "Does anyone object?" Speed Dial started to say something, but Spy Shot 6 interrupted him, "_Besides_ Speed Dial."

"I object," Override's voice sounded. It wasn't nearly as bad as the others because Spy Shot's audio receptors had adjusted to the presence of sound by now. What startled him was that it was _her_ voice. His sister hadn't spoken since they left Cybertron for home.

"I think Speed Dial is right. If we stray from our set course we risk being detected. The Disappearium may hide the ship, but it doesn't mask our energy signatures. If we get too close to anyone, we'll be detected. Especially on this route, it seems, we'll be found by the wrong 'bots." Of course Speed Dial replied instantly to her statement, almost with a sense of urgency or enthusiasm highly uncharacteristic to him, "I could not agree more! So it is settled. We shall…" "Just a minute," Spy Shot 6 interrupted, "I say we put it to a vote."

High Score answered quickly and obviously, "Okay, I vote shortcut." "Sol slingshot for me," Spy Shot seconded. Now it was Speed Dial's turn.

_Well, we all know where this vote is going,_ Spy Shot 6 thought to himself.

"My ballot is nay. We should remain at our present course."

_Now, here's the fun. Where is Override's vote going?_ He was pretty sure she was against, which still meant he would get his way.

"As strange as it is, I'm with Speed Dial: No." He wasn't surprised, but he was a little disappointed. She was his sister, after all. Now it was time to make his move. For once, he was glad to have had his brief span as a politician. "Then, it seems, we take the shortcut."

Speed Dial immediately protested, "Sir, the vote was a stalemate. 'In the event of a tie, the motion is not carried'." Spy Shot 6 already had his answer. "That is true, but if you read the fine print, you would have known that, 'in the event of a tie, the motion is not carried, _unless_ the highest ranking official votes _for_ the motion.' Right now, those circumstances apply." Speed Dial stared in what must have been disbelief.

High Score looked like he was going to burst out laughing until Speed Dial regained his composure and blurted out, "But the chief medic outranks the commander!"

Was that a slight hint of anger in his voice? It didn't matter.

"Speed Dial, 'The chief medic has power over the commander only in times of a medical emergency', which this is not," Spy Shot calmly contradicted him. Now he could almost see Speed Dial searching his memory banks for any logical reason not to take the shortcut. After the search must have proven itself futile, he thought he heard a quiet "Humph!" from Speed Dial, but he wasn't sure. High Score suddenly giggled with glee. A quick glance from Spy Shot's burning red optics stopped him short.

"High Score, start programming the coordinates into Teletraan II," Spy Shot ordered, "we're taking the shortcut."

A

The _Axalon_ finally emerged out of Transwarp space and into the Solar system. Spy Shot 6 lurched forward in his chair; he had forgotten how the sudden change in velocity would affect him. Now, if he remembered correctly, it was time to begin the "Sol Slingshot."

"You're certain this will work?" Spy Shot asked.

"Ninety-nine percent sure," High Score answered. "Ninety-three," he mumbled. "Eighty-two point five…"

Now Spy Shot was beginning to worry. "Is it at least a safe maneuver?" he asked.

"Well…"

"Stop picking on him, Spy Shot," Override called to him, without even looking away from her control panel. "It's okay, High Score," she leaned to the side and put her hand over his, "I know you can do it."

There they went again… He rolled his optics at them, obviously amused at their sentiments. "Love-bots…" he whispered to himself.

"I heard that!" snapped his sister. Spy Shot couldn't help laughing. Those two were just too cute.

"I am afraid, Commander," Speed Dial interrupted, "that this does not appear to be an appropriate occasion for such pleasantries."

"Speed Dial?"

"A Decepticon vessel is coming out of Transwarp Space!" he announced. Spy Shot 6 approached him. He looked at the monitor and saw a large, purple blip next to the small, red blip that represented the _Axalon_.

_So_,he thought, _Speed Dial was right after all_. _We were found, but by whom?_

"Can you identify it?" he quickly asked. "Provide me with a few kliks." Spy Shot waited for a reply, hoping that this was not as dreadful as it appeared.

Speed Dial finally declared, "Sir, it is the _Nemesis_!"

A surge of fear swept over Spy Shot and, he expected, the rest of the crew. The dreaded pirate, Ravage, had found them. Override suddenly was there as well, not believing Speed Dial.

"That's impossible! He can't detect this ship," she exclaimed. Speed Dial was happy, it seemed, to have a chance to prove he was right. "He can, however, track our energy signatures, as you said. While our vessel may be invisible to his scanners, we are not. I advised you that we should not have taken Lieutenant High Score's 'shortcut'." High Score came up with a question that Spy Shot instantly had an answer to. "How could he have known where to look for us?"

_It can't be_, Spy Shot 6 thought, _it can't. _

"That is irrelevant. We must flee," Speed Dial contradicted.

_It must be. There is no other logical explanation._

Spy Shot spoke up. "I say it is relevant. Ravage must have a spy in the Council. Whoever it was must have told him where we were going. Ravage could have been waiting for us at Cybertron, and then he could have followed us this whole time, waiting for us to exit Transwarp space so he could attack."

A control consol beeped and the ship's computer spoke. "The _Nemesis_ is attempting to contact us, sir."

Spy Shot 6 was relieved and petrified at the same time. _At least he wants to talk_, he thought._ I'll have to play for time._

"Put it on-screen, Teletraan II," ordered Spy Shot. An image of Ravage appeared on the main view screen. His sharp teeth were bared in a snarl. After a moment in which he must have been examining his enemy, Ravage spoke. "Spy Shot 6, how… good to finally meet you," Ravage's menacing, raspy voice joked sarcastically. "You thought you could slip by and go get help from Cybertron, didn't you?" He growled. Or was that a laugh? "Well you thought WRONG."

Spy Shot had to keep Ravage talking, so he chose his words carefully. "Ravage, I presume?" After Ravage responded with a nod, he continued. "This is a diplomatic vessel on a mission of peace. We have no cargo; we merely wished to attend an important debate on the subject of the recent uprising and attacks of the Vehicon terrorist group. What is it that you want from us?" Ravage laughed. He had recognized Spy Shot's lie. "Do you really think I am that gullible?" Spy Shot 6 forced a smile. "Well, it was worth a try." Ravage smiled, too, but he really _was_ amused. "What I want from you is simple; surrender your ship to me. And…" Ravage suddenly broke into a coughing spell. It surprised Spy Shot that the mighty space pirate would be coughing so severely.

_Perhaps he's swallowed a cyberbee_, he thought, smiling authentically for the first time since Ravage had introduced himself.

Finally, the cough subsided. "I want the Matrix. Yes, I know about it. I have spies everywhere, even in the Council of Sages." He coughed again.

Was Ravage really in such poor condition?

"Now, give me the Matrix," he demanded. Spy Shot's reply was not a surprise to anyone. "Never," he proudly announced. Ravage's answer was just as predictable. "Then I'll just have to take it BY FORCE!" The screen turned off.

_Slag! He's terminated the link!_

Spy Shot's thoughts were interrupted by Speed Dial, however, "What shall we do now?" Spy Shot 6 was actually afraid. He didn't know _what_ to do.

_Think, Spy Shot, think! This isn't a battle cruiser, but the _Nemesis_ is. What can we do?_

"We have to protect the Matrix of All Sparks at any costs," Override proclaimed, "If Ravage gets his claws on it, all the Mini-Cons back on Minos – not to mention the billions of Sparks within the Matrix – are doomed He'll try to use its power on himself and take over the galaxy!" Speed Dial agreed.

_That's it_, he thought,_ ESCAPE! _Now he knew what to do, but he had to work quickly.

"High Score, prepare to penetrate Sol 3's atmosphere." "Yes, sir," was High Score's only reply. Spy Shot 6 waited a few seconds as High Score programmed various commands into Teletraan II. Then Teletraan II suddenly offered information. "According to the primitive and numerous radio wave transmissions I am picking up, Sol 3 has designated its name to be Earth."

Was it programmed to speak out of turn? _Never mind that, I've got work to do._ He quickly inquired, "Transmissions? Is this world inhabited?" This time it was Override who responded, "It is. The dominant species seems to be a sentient form of Fleshling. It looks like they call themselves either humans or _Homo sapiens_."

Now Spy Shot 6 remembered this planet. The laws passed by the Protection of Primitive Sentient Life Association would prevent him from making first contact in this situation. _Brilliant. And Metroplex told me it would be an easy job._

With the _Nemesis_ on the attack, they wouldn't be able to make it to the next planet. He had to see if a discreet landing was possible. "How many of them are there?" he asked. "Earth is populated by approximately 6.8 billion humans. However, there are numerous other non-sentient beings as well," Teletraan II offered. Spy Shot 6 thanked it (one had to be polite to these new computers) and then asked his sister if there was any place they could land unnoticed. After another scan, she replied. "Yes, but the temperatures are either subzero or really hot. The liquefied energon in our fuel tanks would freeze or boil." "**And** explode," Teletraan II corrected. "I was getting to that," she protested.

_So that's out of the question. But what if…? _

"Does Earth have a moon?" he asked. Override had been a step ahead of her younger brother and had already checked. "Yes, they call it Luna, but it's on the _other_ side of the planet. We'll never get there in time."

No chance; no choice. They had to get out of there. "High Score, we need to locate _any_ place to land now. I don't care where, as long as it's flat and not solid rock."

"You cannot actually be considering landing on this planet!" Speed Dial gaped. "It violates every-" "Don't cite protocol to me, Speed Dial!" he interrupted. He didn't have time for this. "I know the law far better than you do. But our current situation supersedes the procedures for landing on inhabited worlds. High Score, the order still stands."

"Hold on, I'm working on it," he answered back. "There's another problem," Override admitted, "This planet is about five times the size of Minos. Its gravitational forces would crush our exostructures."

_Hoo-rah_, Spy Shot mused.

"Speed Dial?" he asked, "This is your department. Is there any way you could modify our bodies to withstand Earth's gravity?" Speed Dial contemplated this for a moment, and then decided, "I believe that if I were to amplify the density of our exostructures via our internal nanotechnological components, we would be able to hold ourselves together against the planet's gravitational pull. However, I must insist that-" "Speed Dial…" he threatened. He'd had enough of this. Speed Dial was only doing his job, but right now, the fate of the galaxy rested on Spy Shot's shoulders.

"I shall upload my calculations to Teletraan II for processing," Speed Dial announced, obviously getting the idea.

The computer emitted a series of mechanical clicks as it worked. After another few kliks, it announced, "Your calculations were off by 2.39842-"

"We don't care," Override interrupted. Teletraan beeped in an offended tone and continued. "I have made the necessary corrections. You should begin the modifications and carry them out quickly, as the _Nemesis_ is charging its main blaster array and its fusion cannon, which is already at 23%."

"_That_ we care about."

_Oh, joy_, Spy Shot 6 mused, _more good news._ If the _Nemesis_ hit them with a fusion cannon – Spy Shot didn't want to think about it.

Speed Dial began to modify himself. It didn't him take too long to finish on his own systems, run a quick diagnostic to make sure it worked, and run up to Spy Shot 6 and modify the systems located in the captain's back.

**BOOM!**

The ship suddenly jerked to starboard and Speed Dial fell to the floor, then rose and finished with Spy Shot. "They're firing on us; photon torpedoes," Override quickly reported. "I noticed," her brother snapped sarcastically. "Give me a damage report," he ordered. Speed Dial closed the open panel on Spy Shot's back and moved on to High Score. "The blast shields have been disabled," Teletraan II interrupted again, "and the _Nemesis _fusion cannon is at 39% and rising."

_One shot destroyed our shields? _Spy Shot 6 was amazed. He had forgotten that the _Nemesis_ was the most powerful Mini-Con battleship in existence. _We're sitting cyberducks without any protection!_ They had to get out of there, and they had to do it soon.

**BOOM!**

Spy Shot's train of thought was interrupted by another blast. "We've lost our main Transwarp cell," Override worriedly reported. _No_, Spy Shot 6 thought. _We're trapped._ Without their main Transwarp cell, they couldn't open a Transwarp gate. They couldn't get home. They lacked the energon – and the time – needed to travel such a distance on normal engines. Even the special twin ion engine system that the _Axalon_ was equipped with would take two or three years to reach Minos from this sector.

Speed Dial voiced this by announcing, "Captain, that could prove to be incredibly problematic." The feisty fembot that Override was, her response was a snappy "Really?!"

"Arm plasma cannons!" Spy Shot 6 ordered. "Return fire!" Override punched in a code on her control station, and a targeting screen deployed in front of her. "Target locked," she reported. "Fire!" he screamed, the aggression clear in his voice. It had been a long time since he had felt the heat of battle.

"Minimal damage," Override reported a moment later. "_Nemesis_ fusion cannon's still operational." With that, yet another blast hit them.

"Plasma cannons offline," Teletraan II informed them. "_Nemesis _fusion cannon at 57% and rising."

"Sir," Override asked, using Spy Shot's formal title, "May I suggest emergency protocol forty-two?" "You may execute it," he responded almost instantly. She ran to Speed Dial's station, pushed a few buttons, and then spoke into a microphone that had deployed from the communications system. "Praxus, come in Praxus. This is _Axalon_. Over." After a moment, a voice, distorted, but definitely a voice, sounded, "This is Praxus. What is your situation? Over." "Praxus, we have a problem," she answered. "We are under attack by the _Nemesis_. We've lost Transwarp capabilities. We are requesting backup and spare parts. Over." After a moment, they replied, "A covert operative is on his way, _Axalon_. Touch down on the nearest uninhabited planet and stand by. Over and out."

Without a moment's peace, another explosion shook the _Axalon_.

"The _Nemesis _fusion cannon is at 76% and rising," Teletraan II announced. "All communication systems are non-functional." "The heat shields are gone," Override exclaimed worriedly. "We can't land! We'll burn up during the descent." Spy Shot 6 considered for a moment, and then ordered, "Teletraan II, transfer power from lighting systems in all locations except for the bridge to heat shielding!" The computer beeped and the lights dimmed slightly.

A moment later, Teletraan II responded. "Heat shields at 89%." "Will it be enough?" "Affirmative," the computer answered. Spy Shot 6 turned to High Score, and ordered, "There, now get us to Earth!" "I'm under stress!" he complained. "And we're not?" snapped Override.

"Pardon my interruption," Teletraan II announced, "But the _Nemesis _fusion cannon is now at 81% and rising."

"Can that thing ever report any good news?" Override complained.

**BOOM!**

Yet another blast shook the _Axalon_. "Life Support is at 72%," Override announced worriedly. "We can't take much more of this!"

"Can _you_ report any good news?" Spy Shot mocked.

"What good news?!" retorted Override.

"High Score, how long until-?" Spy Shot 6 didn't get to finish his query, for Teletraan II interrupted him. "The _Nemesis _fusion cannon is now at 99%. Prepare for impact."

Spy Shot 6 looked out the viewport, and for half of a klik, he despairingly saw the monstrous beam of light erupt from the _Nemesis_' mammoth weapon.

The blast struck the _Axalon_ at point-blank range.

Override's command station exploded. She screamed. Her systems seemed to overload and she went into stasis lock. Both Spy Shot 6 and High Score screamed out her name, but Spy Shot quickly got his bearings and began barking out commands.

"Speed Dial, get Override to the repair bay!" "Without delay, sir," Speed Dial responded loyally. "Teletraan II, give him what light we can spare. Then prepare the nova missiles and target the Nemesis' weapons systems. You may fire when ready." Speed Dial carried Override away into another part of the ship.

High Score stood up from his chair, attempting to follow just as the _Axalon_ fired its only remaining weapon. Spy Shot 6 understood that there had been something romantic going on between his sister and High Score, but right now he couldn't spare his pilot.

"You stay right there mister," he ordered. Spy Shot 6 received many "buts," so he elaborated. "High Score, I need you to land this mess!"

Their discussion was interrupted by Teletraan II as it declared, "The main weapons of the _Nemesis _are offline. They will not be for long, however. I suggest you land the ship quickly, High Score." "See," Spy Shot mused, "Even the computer agrees with me." Another "but" came from High Score.

"That's an order!" he yelled. "Yes, sir," High Score replied. He sounded as though he wanted to strangle Spy Shot 6.

Well, he probably _did_.

High Score sat down again and punched in the necessary programming. The ship quaked ferociously. "We're coming in too hot," High Score yelled over the roaring sound of the ship breaking atmosphere. "The landing gear's burning up!" "Keep going," Spy Shot reassured him. "I know you can make it!" "I'm doing' my best!" High Score protested. "Just… a little… more…"

The shaking stopped, and the roaring subsided.

"That's it, the landing cycle has begun, but I'm not sure we'll have much of a landing without landing gear." "It'll have to do," Spy Shot 6 decided. "Teletraan II can take it from here. I'm going to see how Override is doing." High Score began to stand up again.

Before he managed more than the slightest twitch, Spy Shot interrupted him. "You finish programming the landing – or, in this case, crashing – coordinates. Then – and only then – may you meet me at the repair bay." High Score grumbled, but did as he was told.


	3. Chapter 2: Grief

Override activated her optical sensors. Only her right optic would work. She groaned, and looked around. She was lying on a bed in the Repair Bay.

_What happened to me? _Override wondered. Then it began to come back to her. The _Nemesis_ had fired its fusion cannon! The main force of the blast had been absorbed by her, it seemed. She started to sit up. Suddenly, she heard a voice.

"Please," it said, and Override recognized the voice as Speed Dial's, "Attempt to remain motionless." So she lay back down again. She then had to fight off the urge to turn her head as she heard footsteps approaching from the hall. Then Spy Shot 6 moved into her line of vision. He was talking to Speed Dial, inquiring as to her status. Override listened carefully; she wanted to know just how badly she had been damaged.

"I-I-I," she heard Speed Dial stutter (that was odd, the medic was rarely at a loss for words), "I cannot make the necessary modifications on her exostructure. Her systems would not be able to handle the stress. On the other servo, if I do not increase the density of her exostructure, she will be crushed by Earth's gravity. She is going to go offline no matter what I do."

_So_, Override thought, not certain if she was amused or in despair, _I'm going to die._

She had to make an effort to speak. "Don't worry about me," she barely managed to say, "You have… a mission… to… complete…" "No," her brother moaned. "Oh, Override, we had our differences, but I'll miss you…" "I'll miss you, too," she replied, trying to keep his optical lubricants from leaking. "I know," he continued, and Override could tell that he was barely in control of his own systems.

"High Score will be devastated when he finds out," Spy Shot suggested, "He'll never be able to concentrate on the mission." "Don't worry," Override encouraged, managing a smile with what was left of her face, "I'll straighten him out." Then she heard High Score's footsteps approaching from the hallway. "Speak of Unicron," Spy Shot 6 groaned.

"I'm finished!" High Score yelled to them. "We'll crash-land in about four or five cycles. Now I'm coming whether you like it or not!"

Override could neither see nor hear her brother right now, but she knew that his face bore one of his "Oh, boy" looks.

"Lieutenant, I, uh, must advise you to remain away from here," began Speed Dial, trying desperately to keep High Score from learning of Override's fate. "This experience could be hazardous to… your mental condition!"

_Well_, she mused, _I suppose that is true_.

"Don't give me that, 'Sub-Commander'," High Score growled. "Get out of my way! Let me see her!"

_Someone's grumpy._

"Let him come," Spy Shot ordered, leaving no room for argument. Speed Dial stepped out of the way and allowed High Score to approach Override. "Override," began High Score, "Oh, no, Override." "Hey, High Score," Override said with a smile, "I guess this is it."

Her calmness greatly surprised her. Override was completely ready to join the Matrix and she knew it. But did High Score? His response answered her question. "No, Override," he begged, "Don't say that! You're gonna be fine!"

A deeply perturbed High Score surprised everyone by turning to Speed Dial and imploring him, "Doc, please, tell me she's gonna be all right!" "I cannot deceive you High Score." Speed Dial sighed, "I am truly sorry." Override had to cheer High Score up somehow.

She knew that he had wanted to propose to her for months, but he had been too afraid to actually pop the question; whenever he got Override's hopes up, he'd changed the subject to some odd topic like how he really wanted a servo salad with iron filings. But now, it was too late.

"No, no," he lamented, "It can't end like this."

How to make him happy? Okay, well maybe happy was pushing it. She'd be lucky to get his emotional stress below to the level of ripping his spark out of his chest at this point. But she had to do _something_.

At that moment, a strange realization came over her. She was truly dying. And yet, she was not in despair. Come to think of it, she'd never been calmer! _How very peculiar_, she pondered.

Then she realized that High Score was still leaning over her. Override had to say something or High Score would think she had gone offline. Override wasn't the best orator, but she knew how to get a point across. Finally after about two-thirds of a cycle, she spoke. Though her thought process seemed to be working fine, she had great difficulty speaking, almost as though a great weight was pressing down upon her exostructure; probably Earth's gravity.

"Don't beat yourself up… so much," she wheezed. "This was… bound to happen someday… This is an honorable death. Soon… I shall be one with the… Matrix…"

That was an appealing concept. She'd be happy to see her dearly departed family again. Her father, Spy Shot 5, and her mother, Flare-Up, were almost certainly waiting for Override in the Matrix of All Sparks. Override's only fear was for her brother, Photon, who had died in the Great War. He had been a Decepticon. It couldn't have been his fault, though. He was probably forced into their ranks. _Poor Spy Shot_, Override thought, _forced to slay his own brother in the War_.

Her thoughts were interrupted two kliks later, as High Score spoke up in response to what she had said only a moment ago. "Yes, but-but…," well there he went again. Whenever High Score was nervous, he stuttered.

He finally regained his composure, and moaned, "Oh, Override… I'll never see you again."

Now she had a way to cheer him up.

"Yes, you will," Override corrected him, "Someday… our Sparks will find each other in the Matrix." It was getting harder and harder to speak. "But until then… you… you have to… keep fighting… Don't let Ravage get the… Matrix… Keep fighting… Un…Until the day…till all are one…"

She was fading fast.

"Override…" As Spy Shot 6 spoke her name, she saw that the he'd forgotten to monitor some if his internal systems, as the lubricants meant to keep his optical sensors clean were now leaking from them. The same had happened to High Score. "Override," he begged, "Please, don't leave me."

Suddenly, just before she went offline, she leaned forward (against Speed Dial's wishes) and whispered three short, meaningful words in High Score's auditory receptors. They were the most devout words she, or anyone else, could ever say. In those three words, she condensed her inmost thoughts, her greatest feelings. In those three words, Override gave High Score her spark.

"I love you."

Then, as High Score gaped, not believing what Override had said, she proved it to him.

Their lips embraced for a cycle and a half, during which time she felt truly happy for the first time in years. It lasted until her face suddenly caved in on itself, along with the rest of her exostructure. Ultimate joy became ultimate suffering, as Override, crushed by Earth's gravity, painfully went offline. All went dark. Then, it was over.

Override was dead.


End file.
